


CRASH BANG POW - A Superhero Story

by Rottenspark



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Found Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23793589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rottenspark/pseuds/Rottenspark
Summary: Four girls. Four super powers. One giant alien bug that needs to be vanquished - or two worlds will be destroyed.Beca is new in town and wasn't looking to make friends, but if she doesn't find a way to lead this ragtag group of wannabe superheroes, the universe as we know it might not survive.The high school/superhero AU absolutely no one asked for!!! Friendship, found family, angst, aliens.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. BECA

It’s her first day at a new school, and surprise surprise, Beca is in trouble. 

She’s used to it at this point. Ever since she stopped caring about school, which was roughly the fourth grade, most teachers just don’t like her. She can’t say she blames them. She sleeps in class, wanders the halls, cuts out early—to put it generally, she acts like school doesn’t matter. 

Most teachers don’t respond super well to that. 

But today, well. Today has nothing to do with not caring about school. Today she’s in trouble for something infinitely more stupid.

If Beca knows anything to be true, it’s that every school has that one teacher who’s just a jerk. 

Most teachers are not jerks. Most of them mean well and are at worst boring or annoying. Beca would know—her dad is a teacher. 

But the jerk teacher isn’t like those other teachers. The jerk is always some guy on a power trip who seems to enjoy embarrassing people. In every school Beca’s gone to—and she’s gone to six different schools at this point—there is always this jerk teacher. 

And of course, because this is her life, because she’s just a magnet for this kind of stuff, Beca has to get this guy for her second-period class. 

His name is Mr. Gorgon, which is ridiculous but true. He’s meaty and sweaty and doubles as the basketball coach, naturally, with one of those booming voices that practically shakes the desks. His hair is short and thin and gelled so heavily you can see straight through to his scalp. Five minutes into his history class, Beca is sure they’re going to hate each other. 

Sure enough, next thing she knows, Mr. Gorgon is saying, “Excuse me, new girl. Stand up.” 

Beca rolls her eyes (mistake) and takes her time to stand up (mistake).

“ _Now,_ please,” Mr. Gorgon says. 

Twenty-six pairs of eyes lock onto her while she turns some shade of firetruck. Finally she stands, and the chain hanging from her belt loop clanks against the desk. 

“What _exactly_ are you wearing?” A bead of sweat is sliding its way down a vein in Mr. Gorgon’s forehead, despite the fact that it’s December and freezing outside. 

Beca doesn’t know what to say. As far as she’s concerned, nothing she’s wearing (sweatshirt, cargo pants, sneakers) is unacceptable. 

So she says nothing. 

“Excuse me,” the Gorgon says again. “Is there something wrong with your hearing?” 

“No,” Beca says. 

Apparently this is wrong, because the guy goes somehow redder, and Beca is aware of everyone staring at her so hard she might dissolve. 

“Then answer my question. What. Are you. _Wearing._ ”  


“Clothes?” 

The guy smacks his desk, which makes everyone jump.

He goes on with an ugly grin, “I am talking about that chain. In our school, which is now your school, chains are a violation of the dress code. Maybe you’ve heard of the dress code?” 

Beca answers in a flat voice, “It’s just a keychain.” She tugs the thick chain out of her pocket to jangle her spray of keys. 

This is, once again, the wrong move, because Mr. Gorgon’s grin twists as he says, “Bring it here.” 

Beca doesn’t move. Mr. Gorgon doesn’t move. Beca’s pretty sure the entire class is not moving at the cellular level. 

“Are you for real?” Beca says, with her special gift for making things worse. 

“YES I’M FOR REAL,” the guy bellows. 

The class does a group flinch, and Beca rolls her eyes and walks to the front of the room. With the Gorgon staring redly down at her, she unclips the chain from her belt loop and holds it out, keys swinging. 

He grabs it and in one swift movement swings it into his desk drawer. 

“I _need_ those,” Beca says. 

He plants his two fleshy hands against his hips. “Come back for them at the end of the day.” He glances down at his attendance book. “Beca Mitchell. And here’s a detention slip for the attitude.” 

As Beca returns to her desk, a dorky-looking guy with brown hair and a round face gives her a pained smile.

Beca ignores him and faces forward, but after class, he stops her right outside the door. He’s grinning and bright-eyed and Beca is in no mood. 

“Can I help you?” she says. 

“I wanted to introduce myself.” He goes on smiling at the same high voltage, the corners of his brown eyes crinkling. 

Beca opens her eyes and closes her eyes. “Okay.” 

“I’m Jesse.”

Beca stares at him. 

“This is the part where you say your name,” he says. 

“Beca.” She starts pushing past him. 

He trots after her. “I just wanted you to know, not every teacher is like that. Mr.Gorgon is a special case. In fact, rumor has it he’s just some slime that spontaneously animated.” 

Beca smiles against her will.

“Where are you from?” he asks. 

“Philadelphia.” She thrusts her class schedule into his face. “Do you know where my next class is?” 

Jesse stops walking and Beca stops, too, while he studies the sheet of paper.

“Geometry, huh?” 

Beca frowns.

He hands her schedule back to her. “I’ll take you there” 

Beca follows him helplessly. The hallways are your usual mess, loud globs of kids sulking around, teachers shouting to go to class. Beca’s pretty sure if you’ve been to one high school, you’ve been to all of them. 

Jesse smiles at her. “So, what brings you to Trent, PA?”

“Misfortune.” 

He smiles wider. “Are you one of those emo girls who hates everything?” 

“Emo.” She raises an eyebrow. “Is that a word we’re still using?” 

“You fail to answer the question.” 

“You’re a weirdo for asking it.” 

He grins and stops outside a classroom. Beca sighs. She senses she’s going to have a hard time shaking him.

“Well, here we are,” he says. “Geometry.” 

She rolls her eyes. “Thanks.” 

He’s beaming. Beca notices for the first time his T-shirt is loudly Star-Wars-themed. 

“We should hang out,” he says. “There’s this party next week, on New Year’s Eve. Do you want to come?” 

“Um, Jesse.” Beca is cringing. “I’m not really looking to make friends here.” 

Jesse tilts his head. “Everyone needs friends.” 

“I’d better get to class.” 

“Hey, wait.” He holds out a slip of paper with a number written on it. “If you get lonely over winter break.” 

“You walk around with your phone number written on small pieces of paper?” 

He smiles down at his sneakers. “I wrote it down back in Gorgon’s class.”

Beca smirks and goes into class.


	2. CHLOE

**2\. CHLOE** ****

It’s the week before winter break, and Chloe is scheming.

She’s pretty sure Tom is into her. Every time she walks past him—okay, flaunts past him—he freezes and turns white. It is _so_ cute how nervous he is.

Tom is a basketball player with swoopy brown hair, gorgeous brown eyes, and calves so muscular Chloe wonders if that’s actually healthy. Chloe is cheer captain, so it only makes sense they should get together.

The problem, Chloe has discovered, is Tom won’t talk to her for any meaningful length of time. Anytime she tries to talk to him, he makes some excuse and goes running off.

She doesn’t understand why he’s being so _weird_.

So you can see why she’s scheming. She needs to meet up with Tom somewhere outside of school, somewhere she can really corner him. This should be a public place, but not too public. It should be somewhere cool, with people hanging out.

It hits her—that party on New Year’s Eve. Ashley invited her a couple weeks ago and she’d kind of forgotten about it. But that would be perfect.

She knows just what to do. As soon as last bell rings, she goes rushing through the halls in search of the person she needs.

She finds Aubrey at her locker, piling textbooks into an overloaded backpack.

“Aubrey!”

Aubrey jumps. When she turns around and sees Chloe, she scowls.

Chloe almost forgot she’s not Aubrey’s favorite person lately.

“Hey,” Chloe says. 

Aubrey actually lifts her nose in the air. They’ve always been friends—best friends, actually—since they were two, when they met in a sandbox, but this past year has been tense.

The problem is Aubrey only cares about school these days. It’s like all she does is study, despite the fact that it’s their senior year and they’re supposed to be having fun.

Chloe tries to get Aubrey to go out, let loose, live a little, but Aubrey usually won’t. This makes Chloe upset, which frustrates Aubrey, which makes them both act weird around each other, and Chloe is starting to wonder if they’re just going in different directions.

But Chloe is determined. She’d never give up a friend so easily, especially her best friend. So she sets her shoulders and smiles and tries to ignore the fact that Aubrey looks zero percent interested.

“I was wondering—

“No, Chloe.”

Chloe frowns. Aubrey has that steely look, the one where her mouth is set and her eyes are narrowed and Chloe already knows this is a lost cause.

But she can’t help trying. Aubrey is the best person to take to parties, because Aubrey is cool and collected and scares people. Combine that with Chloe’s friendly optimism and together they can usually accomplish anything.

Plus, unlike some of Chloe’s other friends, Aubrey would never abandon her at a party for someone more interesting. It has to be Aubrey!

“You don’t even know what I was going to say,” Chloe says.

Aubrey looks somewhere upward and to the left. “Let me guess. You need me to come with you to some party so you can ensnare some guy—

“Ensnare is an interesting choice of words—”

“All so you can forget about him two weeks later and move on to someone else.” Aubrey snaps her locker shut. “I don’t have time, Chlo.”

Now Chloe is the one scowling. “You don't have to be so mean about it.”

“Am I wrong?”

Chloe huffs.

Aubrey pushes past her and starts down the hall, walking in that fast, determined way only Aubrey walks, her straight blond ponytail whipping behind her.

“One hour!” Chloe shouts after her.

Aubrey stops, and her shoulders rise and fall slowly.

“One hour,” Chloe says again. “That’s all I'm asking for.”

Aubrey turns around with a sigh. “One hour where?”

“At the quarries on New Year’s Eve.” Chloe goes on quickly, “It’s just a few people hanging out, nothing crazy.

Aubrey rolls her eyes.

“Okay, it might be a little crazy.” Chloe bounds closer to Aubrey and grabs both her hands. “Please. You can’t possibly want to study on New Year’s Eve—

“I have so much to do, Chlo. My AP lit exam is right after the break, and I haven’t even started on my final paper—

“You can’t spare one hour?” Chloe squeezes Aubrey’s hands. “Come on, Aubs.I really want to do something fun with you. I feel like I never see you anymore.”

Aubrey looks down at her feet.

“Say you’ll come with me?” Chloe pleads. “As a last favor before we graduate and you go off to Harvard to become queen of the universe?”

“I might not even get accepted, Chlo—

“Of course you’re going to get accepted!”

Aubrey rolls her eyes and smiles, and Chloe knows she’s won.


	3. AUBREY

**3\. AUBREY** ****

Winter break hasn’t been going the way Aubrey hoped.

So far, all she’s done is reread one of the novels for AP lit, draw up an outline for her final paper, and start on an email to her teacher asking for extra credit.

She’d hoped to accomplish so much more.

Senior year has been hard, mostly because she feels like everything she’s worked for is coming to head. In a couple months, she’ll find out if she made valedictorian, if she got accepted to Harvard, if all her volunteering work was enough to score her the scholarships she wanted, and on and on.

Most of the time she feels like screaming at the top of her lungs.

Now Chloe’s coming over any minute to drag her to this stupid party. And it’s true—Aubrey doesn’t want to study on New Year’s Eve—but she also doesn’t want to do something fun. It feels wrong to have fun when she’s doing so poorly in AP lit. If she’s not studying, she should at least be _resting_ so she can study tomorrow.

But here's Chloe, knocking on her bedroom door and waltzing in before Aubrey even tells her it’s okay. Boundaries have never really existed to Chloe.

“Aubrey, what are you wearing?!” Chloe takes one look at Aubrey, who’s sprawled on the bed in her sweats, and heads to Aubrey’s closet. “Ashley’s coming to pick us up any minute!”

Aubrey sighs as Chloe starts whipping through her clothes. She and Chloe have been growing apart—Aubrey knows it—but it just seems inevitable. Chloe doesn’t respect Aubrey’s priorities, so Aubrey can’t help pushing her away. What is Aubrey supposed to do, prioritize _fun_ over her dreams, her goals?

That’s just not the way she was raised.

“Chloe, I really don’t think I should go.”

“Aubrey!”

“I need to study.”

Chloe groans and comes to sit next to her, pushing a textbook off the bed with a thud. She’s all done up, Aubrey notices, which means whichever guy (or girl) she’s after stands no chance. Chloe is gorgeous, with red hair and blue eyes, and has the kind of infectious personality that makes everyone love her. Aubrey can’t remember a time when Chloe wasn’t everyone’s favorite person, instantly, everywhere they went.

To be honest, Aubrey’s never really been sure why they’re friends.

“Are you okay?” Chloe says, eyeing Aubrey’s entirely gray outfit.

“Of course,” Aubrey snaps. “Why?”

“You seem stressed. More than usual.”

Aubrey shuts her eyes. Her temples ache. “It’s just this class. I’m not doing as well as I should.”

“Does that mean you’re getting like an A-?”

“It’s a big deal, Chlo.”

“I know, I know.” Chloe sighs. “Every grade counts when you’re trying to be valedictorian. I just don’t see how one little party is going to mess anything up. Plus.” She grabs Aubrey’s shoulder and shakes it. “You promised you’d come!”

“I did not promise!”

“Did so! A best friend’s word is her _vow_ ,” Chloe gasps.

Aubrey scoffs and pushes Chloe away, and suddenly they’re both laughing. Maybe it would be good to go out, Aubrey thinks, because she can’t remember the last time she laughed and it feels good.

But then she sees all her binders and sticky notes and the textbook splayed open on the floor.

“Chloe, I really wish I could come. I do.”

“Then come!”

“It’s just…”

Chloe lets out a long sigh and slides off the bed. “You can’t.” With her back to Aubrey, she says, “You’re over it, huh?”

Aubrey tilts her head. “What?”

“You’re over us being friends.”

“Chloe, no—

“It’s okay, Aubrey.” Chloe’s voice is quiet. “ It’s not like I couldn’t see it coming.”

She starts toward the door, and Aubrey panics. It’s one thing to think about how she and Chloe have been growing apart. It’s a whole other thing to let her best—and okay, _only—_ friend walk out in such a serious, final-seeming way.

“Wait!” Aubrey cries.

Chloe turns around, her eyes watery.

“I’ll come.” Aubrey slaps her forehead. “But shoot, I forgot I’m supposed to check on Emily tonight.”

“Who’s Emily?”


	4. EMILY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my favorite chapter so far :)

**4\. Emily** ****

_Woe, woe, woe is she, pathetically wasting time._

_Emily, Emily, Emily, Emily, slowly loses her mind._

Emily had been so excited for this Christmas vacation. _Finally_ , a break from freshman year—abysmal, horrible, smelly— _and_ her mom was going away for three entire days and had decided that _Emily could stay home alone._

But as it turns out, when you stay up all night watching _Law and Order: SVU_ and don’t eat anything but ice cream, you kind of feel like crap. Also, she misses talking to people. She’s kind of forgetting what that’s like? As if her social skills aren’t terrible enough.

The misery really sets in this morning, when she wakes up on New Year’s Eve with another blank day sprawled out in front of her. She doesn’t think she can take more television, and doesn’t feel like writing a song on her guitar, and can’t _go_ anywhere because she can’t _drive_.

Is she actually going to resort to homework?

It makes it all the worse that her mom bought her party stuff so she could “invite a couple of friends over. I know you’ll be responsible.”

Friends? Psssshhhh.

So now the kitchen counter is full of chips and soda and plastic cups, taunting Emily with their stupid happy colors.

She doesn’t have the heart to inform her mom that her daughter is the lamest person alive. She used to have friends—well, one friend, Rachel—but Rachel moved away at the start of the school year, and Emily hasn’t been able to make any new friends because the whole school deemed her an untouchable freak back in September when—

Nope. She’s not going to think about that today. She’s going to have a good time all by herself, gosh darn it. She snatches a bag of cheese puffs and a big bottle of Coke and heads for the couch.

She’s three _Lifetime_ movies deep when there’s a knock at the door. Emily leaps to her feet. Another living person? Here?

She scrambles to think who it might be, then remembers: Aubrey! Her mom said Aubrey would be checking on her. But wow, she didn’t expect her cool longtime babysitter to give her the time of day on New Year’s Eve.

She rushes toward the front door scrubbing cheese dust off her face.

“Aubrey!” Emily flings open the door. “And. Um.”

It’s Chloe Beale. None other than Chloe Beale, senior head cheerleader, is standing on her porch.

“Hi!” Chloe smiles glowingly and nudges past her into the house. 

As in Emily’s house. Chloe Beale is in her house.

“Hi, Em.” Aubrey follows Chloe in.

They move to the living room, where the evidence of Emily’s pathetic existence is scattered everywhere. Emily rushes around collecting bowls of dried-up ice cream, crunching several cheese puffs underfoot in the process.

“Thanks for coming over!” Emily cries, as if they’re here to hang out and not because Emily’s mom asked Aubrey to make sure Emily was alive.

Aubrey stands with her arms crossed in the center of the room. Chloe, meanwhile, is walking past the photos on the mantel and examining them—an emergency.

“Oh, those are.” Emily gulps. “Don’t look at those.”

Emily understands she’s an only child and that makes her somewhat important to her mother, but this does not give her the right to display _every school picture she’s ever taken_ in the freaking living room.

“Why? You’re so _cute_ ,” Chloe says.

Emily feels her face ignite. It’s possible she’s on actual fire.

“Th—thanks,” she mumbles.

“How’s it going, Em?” Aubrey asks, turning around in a circle and frowning at the half-eaten bag of cheese puffs spilling out onto the couch. “Seems like you’ve been…relaxing?”

“Yeah, totes.” Emily nods vigorously. “Just hanging out. I’m totally fine.”

“Hmm,” Aubrey says.

“Wait, I know who you are.” Chloe whirls around. “You’re that singing girl. The one from that video.”

“No,” Emily says, her stomach dropping.

“Yes, you are! Aww, I loved that video. You’re kind of famous, you know—

Chloe stops talking, maybe because she’s picked up on the fact that Emily is dying.

“Famous might be the wrong word,” Emily murmurs.

“How are your classes?” Aubrey says brightly, changing the subject. “Do you feel like you’ve adjusted to the high-school workload?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Emily shrugs. “Do you guys want any chips or soda? My mom bought me all this stuff to invite friends over but—

She notices Chloe and Aubrey looking at her sadly.

“Oh, you guys are going out, huh?” Emily says. “Sorry, I should’ve noticed you were all dressed up.”

“Hey.” Chloe walks over and grabs her arm, a thing that actually happens in real life. “Maybe she can come with us!”

“ _Chloe_.”

“Aubs, come on. We’re only staying for an hour! And her mom’s not even here and would never have to know, right Emily?”

Emily nods so hard she thinks her head might pop off. 

“Chloe.” Aubrey scowls. “She is fourteen years old.”

“So? You’d be with her the whole time. You’re literally her _babysitter_.”

“She’s not my.” Emily shakes her head. “She’s more like an older friend who comes to hang out with me sometimes when my mom’s not home—

“Emily, I’m sorry,” Aubrey says, “but you can't come to the party. I could never betray your mother's trust like that." 

"You're going to a party?" Emily gives them the saddest puppy-dog eyes she can manage without surrendering her dignity. 

Oh, you know what, screw dignity. 

"Please, please, please, please, please!" Emily cries. "Can I please just see what a party is like? Please? Can I go?" 

"Come on, Aubrey," Chloe joins. "Can't she go?" 

Finally, Aubrey lets out a long groan. "If you leave my side for one minute."

Emily squeaks and starts jumping up and down. "Thank you! Holy crap."

She bolts upstairs to find something to wear.

Is this real life?

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what this is exactly, but I have a fair amount written and plan to post as much as I can :)


End file.
